| A Tale of Long Lost Brothers |
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Captain Berrocal was astonished. Constantinople? They had also a planet named Constantinople? This visit was bound to enlighten both sides. He looked calm at Carl.
"No other choices are necessary, Chief Diplomat. I believe Constantinople will meet the King's requirements. I am sure the culture of Constantinople will prove worthy of a visit, seeming that we also have a planet named Constantinople. As for the specific resort, I trust your judgement as a native. Don't disappoint us." He awaited their reaction to it. "As for the fly-by, I don't suppose it would be possible to do it in this ship." He laid a datapad on the table, revealing the dimensions of the nearly 6 km long super dreadnought that was the HMS Infinity. "This ship will be the main vessel of our visit. I suppose it wouldn't be wise for it to be near the fly by of the capital?" Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Itomi, Vurbentan Rim, Ryccian Empire
"If he is attempting to intimidate us", Carl thought "he is sorely mistaken. It is common sense that such a large ship would only create sheer horror amongst the populace, after all. His tactic is faulty, for our largest military vessel is more than three times its length" "Regardless, such a vessel could never be permitted! The militarists and nationalists shall certainly oppose it as an "attack on our honour" or something, the pacifists shall object to a state visit involving this gargantuan machine of war, as it would be seen as a sign of aggression, and the moderates shall never allow it under the grounds of security! What was that King even thinking of flying his most powerful warship on the capital in the first place?!" The other diplomats had similar thoughts. What type of spice was this foreign monarch high on? Letting a foreign dreadnought of all things just waltz into the heart of the Ryccian Empire? Would he prefer for the Executor-class and an accompaying fleet to traverse his capital as if it was nothing? How outrageous! The diplomats began to whisper once more, this time in alarmed tones if you payed enough attention. Carl began to speak. "...Even for the visit to Constantinople, this colossal ship alone shall require one of our own vessels to vigilate it. I shall be frank: if we allow this warship to cross into one of our heartlands in such a casual fashion, we are to forget the protests, for the populace of the entire region shall either suffer a mass panic attack or be even more enraged at his visit. It may be a hyperbole, but I wish to illustrate the alarm that shall be forged in our people. Therefore, if your King desires to bring the pride of your fleet, one of our largest dreadnoughts, the Executor-Class Alexandria, shall be a requirement in order to placate the possible fears that may be generated amongst the inhabitants of the Core. Here, I shall demonstrate a footage of it" Carl displayed a hologram of the Super Star Destroyer Alexandria. It was 19 kilometres in length, and it was the pride of the Ryccian Navy aside from its figurative twin, the Unity. "I do hope it is not much of a disturbance" "In addition, since we are in agreement that any such flyby is to remain unnoticed, a civilian yacht or some other ship of your monarch's choosing shall need to do. To bring forth any military vessel or starfighter would only attract attention, I am afraid"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
"Chief Diplomat Charlotte-Imperial. Amongst my people such a display of weapons is considered a high honour to be shown to other star nations. As in duels in matter of honour, before the actual duel starts, each participant shows their opponents their weapon to be inspected by them. Of course we wouldn't want a war with you, don't get the metaphor wrong. But since it seems the Ryccian people have gone soft, we will agree to your terms."
He said with a slight disgust in his tone. "As for your Executor-class Star Destroyer, such an enormous feat of Terran engineering would be more than welcome for a display in the Stoinian Star Kingdom. Our offer wasn't meant to intimidate you and you sure could use some lessons from us. Next time, show us the actual firepower not just the mere dimensions." "By God." He thought. "They thought such an enormous vessel would intimidate the Stoinian Lion? How little they knew. If all MAC cannons of an entire Armada focused on one of their Executors, it would have a very short life. Such a big vessel is quite an easy target. 19 km long, where was the efficiency in that?" "Since His Majesty is the active head of our military he doesn't use civilian yachts. He will have an escort of three ships: One Manticore-class dreadnought, his personal ship, and two Nike-class battleships. That would be the minimum escort for His Majesty's safety. I agree that we should keep the ships out of civilian sight and therefor might I suggest that we use this ship? It would blend well for any close-up encounters with civilians, would it not? I am sure His Majesty would put a nice word in for you, Chief Diplomat Charlotte-Imperial." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Itomi, Vurbentan Rim, Ryccian Empire
The Ryccian diplomats were annoyed. Are they to tolerate this insulting behaviour? It would appear so. But, for the country, for the Empire, they shall need to swallow their pride, hide their anger and tolerate the insult. After all, the Empire cannot afford to make enemies of outsiders so rapidly. They may be needed in the future, in one way or another. Carl thought of the proposal. Utilizing his yacht for a historical visit? It would certainly be an honour. However, he feared for his prized possession. After all, it did cost a fortune. It was handcrafted by an expert artisan group, no less. If it got damaged, that would be most unpleasant. Moreover, it was his personal property, where he spent some of his private time. To allow foreigners and politicians to use his vessel for official state business would turn to be...strange, to say the least. But, for the country, Carl would accept. And, who knows? Perhaps there is an opportunity to turn part of his ship in some profitable attraction...the idea may be far-fetched, but it is there... "That is an acceptable proposal, Captain. The appropriate accomodations shall be done on this ship. If the King consents and I am not present, do tell from my part that I hope he enjoys his time in my personal vessel, and to take care of it as if it was his own, for it is certainly expensive"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
He could sense the annoyance from the Ryccians from the two other diplomats. He had hit a nerve on them. Good, they were a bit sensible at least and had a bit of pride. Nonetheless the meeting was successful, the visit should be made possible. He just had to wait for a confirmation from the Ryccian government.
"Good then, Chief Diplomat. I trust for you to plan the fly by of the Ryccian capital. I am sure you can come up with an excellent tour while we await your government's official response. We will take care of your vessel as if was ours. If need be, with our lives. Now I suggest we start to plan the details of this visit while your government proceeds to accept these terms. Shall we?" Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Itomi, Vurbentan Rim, Ryccian Empire
"The Arzix-Constantinople Estates should be an adequate residence to commence the visit. The Emperor, Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs should be in attendance in the event. A two-day stay would suffice, where our officials can speak of matters of importance and assist to various ceremonies, should there be any of them. A ceremony that should certainly be included would be the welcoming ceremony. If I recall, a line of our most elite troops should act as the honour guard. Our national anthem should be played first, and the Stoinian anthem, if you do have one, shall be performed. Do instruct your officials to send our organizers the music for your hymn" "Our leaders should then settle in their guest rooms, awaiting the morning tea party. We shall serve our tea and consumables as a default option, but if your King is fond of any of his native foodstuffs, do convey those details to us in order for our culinarists to prepare them" "After this, our leaders may head to the estate's gorgeous botanical gardens. I did go to them as a child, and they have some of the most beautiful white roses I remember. The proceeding event must be the lunch. Once more, if your King requires his native cuisine to be satisfied, do not doubt in sending us the recipes if need be" "After the lunch, there may be a 40-minute break. Following this, our officials are to meet in a room arraigned for the purpose in order to discuss matters of importance. A press conference should the next step in the day. If your King does not desire to attend, only our officials shall" "Another 40-minute break may be the proceeding event. After this, our leaders are to be called for dinner. Your King may enjoy the facilities in the sundown, which include various amenities, until bed" "The next day, the cycle shall continue. Breakfast is to be served at every individual's personal chambers. After the meal, high-ranking Ministers, Senators and Congressmen who desire to converse with the King are to do so until lunch. The day shall proceed as before, with our officials meeting to discuss issues of cruciality once more. Another press conference shall be called, and our leaders shall be summoned for dinner. Proceeding it, the King shall have the opportunity to speak to high-ranking officials once more until the night, where he may opt to sleep at a time of his choosing. Is this draft schedule sufficient, Captain?" "Regarding the flyby of the capital, I do suggest we traverse the Colegia District, where one may appreciate the location of prestigious higher educational institutions. Our Imperial Academy, the best and oldest university of the Empire, currently exists there. Next, might I propose the observance of the Moonlight District? It is a shopper's delight, and a beauty to see. This district possesses some of the most elegant buildings in the entire city, crucially at the nightime. I do purchase items there from time to time" At this remark, the other diplomats were annoyed. Of course he would, he is wealthy beyond belief. And, seriously? "From time to time"? He might as well say "all the time". Carl was a decent person, but what his poorer colleagues found irritating to varying degrees was his wealth. Whenever they made small talk, it was if speaking to a complete foreigner. He spoke of his luxury shopping trips, fantastic vacations and retreats, something they could ill afford and never relate to. If you shopped regularly at Moonlight, gambled at Anoreta, regularly attended lavish parties thrown by the aristocracy and vacationed in noble estates, your life was a blessing. As a result of the Diplomatic Corps's stringent meritocratic standards, Carl seldom made true friends in this career, only allies. Most of the people he met just could never, ever relate to him enough in order to have any sort of friendship. Some even found his purple birth and elite lifestyle annoying and infuriating to the extreme, including his rivals. That he was there just because he was a pampered Charlotte-Imperial that was lucky to be born so high up. Just another spoiled kid from the Core who had servants take care of his every need since birth. To those who came from less prestigious backgrounds, some considered him to be illegitimate. To them, he had never truly earned his post. He never had to work so hard for it as they had. But if Carl were in the business of making friends, he would quit this job immediately. Thus, he just ignored the annoyance of his colleagues, as he had done in his entire career. Carl continued to speak of the various districts of importance. The Legada District, the equivalent of an interstellar Wall Street; the Taion District, where many affluent residences were present; the Tigon District, where many quality restaurants lay; the Maruz District, where the capital's factories powered the industrial sector of the economy; and more. The final one he mentioned was the Executive District, where most of the key governmental and legislative institutions of the Empire operated. The Senate? It was there. The Chancellery? Certainly present. The Imperial Palace? It has stood there for eons. And there was more. "Forgive me for speaking excessively, for this had a purpose. My assistant was taking note of it all in order to revisit these plans" "Any objections, Captain?"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
Berrocal was impressed with Carl's schedule. He knew his stuff, but why were the other two so silent? Surely they would have something to add. Perhaps they were more familliar with other parts of their capital.
"That would do just well, Chief Diplomat. For the sundown activities, are there nearby hunting grounds? His Majesty would certainly love to hunt some Ryccian game. Hunting is a popular occupation in our Kingdom, you see. It is considered a bond of friendship when two men go hunting together. Would your monarch accept such an invitation by His Majesty? We can give you our weapon specifications since I assume you have regulations. Then you can either permit such weaponry or instead let us use yours." "Please do note that His Majesty and our officials will at all times be escorted by two of our Royal Guardsmen. As for the press conference, any suggestions what we shouldn't say? You said we have quite a negative perception, any ideas to improve it. I presume there will be xeno journalists, will they be kept in check? His Majesty will not insult them, that I can assure you. Should he mention His visit to the Ryccian capital or would that create uproar?" Then he turned towards the other two diplomats. He looked at them inquisitivly. He was rather dissappointed with their contributions. It was now quite clear that Carl was a born aristocrat, but the other two probably not. "If you two have any advice for the afore mentioned questions, feel free to answer them as well. I would also like to hear suggestions from you two for the capital. Perhaps you are more familliar with other districts? His Majesty would be enlightened to see all parts of your society." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Itomi, Vurbentan Rim, Ryccian Empire
"You're in luck, Captain. Constantinople is the only planet in the Core that hasn't outlawed hunting animals yet" That was Thint. Although he was from an industrial world, he was still from Novaterra, a region far from the Core. In the outlying regions, hunting was more accepted. Perhaps it either was due to their "frontier culture", or because one had to work harder to survive than the softies in the Core, or both. In the Core, aristocratic culture is even more detached from any form of martiality than a thousand years ago. Any kind of bloodshed was deemed appalling, and since the Core was the most affluent region of human space and the Empire overall, that elite culture influenced the general population more than anywhere else. Recreational hunting was being outlawed over the past few centuries, and Constantinople may follow suit after intense pressure. Thint spoke in a negative tone. He was fond of hunting, and thus saw the Core's ban of one of his favourite pastimes to be a "hyper-sensitive hysteria" from those rich softies. Carl, on the other hand, was disgusted. Hunting? This King desired to practice such a barbaric sport? He knew the Emperor saw hunting with disdain, and would be horrified to kill an animal for fun. So did he. It was the prevalent thought in the Core. "With all due respect, don't bother asking the Emperor to hunt. The Core is clueless when it comes to good sport. Maybe the Chancellor could accept the invitation, but I'd doubt your King would want to hunt with an alien" "Pardon, Mr. Grivyern", Carl objected "but you must respect our cul-" "On your question as to why we aren't commenting on the trip to the capital..." And that was Carlias. She was one of Carl's rivals, and an ally of their superior, the Foreign Minister. It felt good to interrupt this upstart spoiled kid. "Carl is the one that has the most experience with Daonlathas. Me and Thint spend most of our time working in our respective regions, so we go to the capital only sparingly. For example, my usual routine consists of resolving disputes in the Eastern Region, an area quite far from that world. Moreover, if we are in need of contacting our superiors in Daonlathas, we aren't summoned to the capital. Instead, we speak by hologram. In contrast to our existence, Carl has practically gone all his life to the heart of the Empire. He's better suited to talk for our delegation, for he knows the capital more than us" "...Ahem. Let us discuss on the matter of the press conferences. The optimal aim is for your nation to transform its public image in the eyes of our citizens. It would be best to not express any racist or hostile remarks, but I leave your preparations at your discretion. The alien journalists, as well as the human ones, shall be able to ask any question with all the freedom they desire to exercise. Our security team are to be sworn to protect your King from any threats to his life along with your Royal Guardsmen"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
Berrocal was rather confused. Why did they start to biker out of a sudden? They clearly had a different thought pattern. There were different Terran cultures between the Ryccian regions? Then they wouldn't all be softies. There was yet hope for the Ryccians. He then turned towards Thint.
"I see, that is rather regretful. However the King has also hunted with our Cheunh, a Terran-like alien which holds the same rights as Terrans. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of hunting with the Chancellor. It may be acceptable to the King, but I will have to ask Him just to be sure. What type of xeno is this Chancellor of yours?" He then turned towards Carlias, rather saddened. "Thank you for your insight. If there were more details you would like to share about your non ''Core'' cultures, we would be more than happy to receive a report of sorts. A transfer can be done with this datapad. We could even find more common ground than we have anticipated." He gave a datapad to Carlias and saw a line which he had forgotten about. He looked at Carl. "As for the press conference, I trust your security can handle the necessary precautions to not allow armed men or xenos come in. We will leave the security into your hand. Don't disappoint us. The King will b more than capable to stand his ground against your journalists. And before I forget, there is one last thing which I haven't mentioned yet. Would the Resurgence-class ship Little Rascal be ready for a tour? It would be greatly appreciated to see you upheld our terms and took care of the Little Rascal's legacy." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Itomi, Vurbentan Rim, Ryccian Empire
"Ferul Blesforn is a Velpan", said Thint. He then displayed a hologram of a fox-like humanoid. "Velpans are omnivores by nature, but they like meat more than plants. If I remember well, their biological ancestors used to be exclusive meat eaters until they evolved sentience" "As you can observe, his external physical attributes mirror those of foxes" said Carl. "Captain", Carlias began "There are various human cultures in the Empire that have developed across the millenia. The trend in ancient history generally was that the poorest of the Core and other established regions migrated to the frontiers of their era. For example, my surname 'Alpontet' and Thint's second surname 'Alpontien' come from the millenia-old bastard or destitute bloodlines the Alpont noble family. Poorer surnames may also have hidden meanings to them. 'Grivyern' may come from 'grieving yarn', a sign that part of the origins of Thint's ancestry lie on impoverished cotton farmers and/or factory workers that decided to leave their home thousands of years ago. The farther you depart from the Core, the more pedestrian and poorer the regions become in culture, economics, attitudes and even last names. As a result, while the Core can see something such as hunting to be horrifying, the outlying regions such as my home tend to care less" "Ryccians are not the only human superculture. There are offshoots of Ryccian humanity that escaped the Empire at its inception, such as the Axekiu, who wanted to create a technocratic society guided by the pursuit of knowledge, and the Mandalorians, who saw the Old Empire, which was ultra-xenophobic and militaristic, as soft, so they escaped and formed their own ultra-militaristic culture. Despite fleeing thousands of years ago, these cultures still exist, especially the Mandalorians, whose extreme resistance to outside influences and near-mythical fierceness in battle led the Old Empire to govern the Mandalorians with puppet leaders who retained some autonomy instead of appointing Imperial Governors to govern directly. The Mandalorians were conquered thousands of years ago, but those wars were brutal and bloody, so much that the Mandalorians are still characterized as the bravest warrior culture the Empire has" "Ah, yes, the Mandalorians", Carl commented. "They are the focus of frightening childhood tales passed on from generation to generation in my native region of the Core. Merciless, suicidal, ruthless, feared and valiant soldiers by their innate nature. Those are merely stories meant to induce terror on misbehaving children in our present era, nothing more" "Regarding the construction of the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Spirit of the Rascal, which is a compulsory measure in the peace treaty, Captain, I have been informed that it is not finished as of this time. The vessel was commissioned at the time of the deal, and thus it shall take around a year to construct, two if there are delays of any sort. Compared to our existing Imperial-class, this Star Destroyer is far larger. The fact that our shipyards are able to build it in such a limited timeframe is excellent already. My apologies if I do disappoint you, Captain"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7) |
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